Wagging the Dog

Polis, Peters, and Political Favors

A naval blockade letting every ship through, a clemency that may have been a political trade, a $1.8 billion fund of questionable legality, and one Kentucky libertarian willing to torch his career over Epstein. This week on Left Face.

Wagging the Dog

Project Taurus stirs up the neighborhood, Iran stays nuclear-adjacent, and Israel reminds everyone who's really driving U.S. Middle East policy.

The Strait is Ajar & Redistricting straight to 1984

The Hormuz situation has a third status now — not open, not closed, just barely cracked. Adam and Dick break down the asymmetric threat keeping ships from moving, the 90-day war powers shuffle, and why we're headed for Obama's deal with Trump's signature and a lot of dead people in between. Virginia let the people vote and the Supreme Court threw it out anyway. A Supreme Court nominee won't commit to the 22nd Amendment. And an untrained guy with a gun almost did the unthinkable because a cop didn't listen to his dog.

The War That Isn't: Dangling Keys, Distraction, and Doublespeak

Adam and Dick break down the administration's Iran war messaging — from the 60-day war powers clock getting "paused" by a tweeted ceasefire, to Hegseth's belligerent non-answers before Congress. They unpack the marijuana reclassification as a shiny distraction, dig into the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act and what Louisiana's governor did within 48 hours, and get into a genuinely interesting debate about whether racial gerrymandering — even the remedial kind — was ever the right fix. Plus: the military as an authoritarian proving ground, the "common sense" doublespeak both parties use, and why Democrats need to put the pillows down and actually throw a punch.

Hormuz Watch: Congress, Corruption, and a Very Ballsy Bet

Dick and Adam break down a chaotic week in American politics — four congressional departures in seven days, from Swalwell's swift fall to a Texas Republican who only left when the margin gave him no cover. They dig into the soldier who bet on his own classified mission in Venezuela, what it reveals about the dangers of betting on anything, and why the genie is very much out of the bottle. Plus: Kash Patel's lawsuit against The Atlantic, a cabinet secretary who took her staff to a strip club, and why the CD5 race is finally getting national money for the first time ever. And yes — the Strait of Hormuz is still closed.